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<br />Badger Creek <br />Canon City, Colorado <br /> <br />Location: <br /> <br />Legal: T49N, RIOE, Sec. 27. <br />Located approximately 43 miles NW of Canon City, Colorado <br />in Fremont, County. The creek is a tributary of the Arkansas <br />River. The confluence is approximately 5 miles east of Sa]ida. <br />A demonstration area pasture is located in T5] N, R I OE, Sec 13 <br />NE]/4, Sec 7 S1/2, and Sec ]8 N1/2. <br /> <br />Landowners: <br /> <br />Public lands managed by: Bureau of Land Management <br />3170 East Main Street <br />Caiion City, CO 8] 212 <br />Contact: Todd Zechia] (719) 269-8558 <br /> <br />Restoration <br />Objectives: <br /> <br />Grazing management and aquatic habitat restoration <br /> <br />Directions: From Canon City travel west on U.S. Highway 50 for 10 miles, <br />then take State Highway 9 north for 10 miles. Turn west on Tallahassee Road for <br />5 miles. Take Fremont County Road 2 west for 18 miles to Badger Creek. Cross <br />the stream and continue approximately 3/4 mile, turn right following the road to <br />the demonstration area. <br /> <br />Goals: On this demonstration area the primary goal has been to show <br />grazing management practices that are compatible with riparian improvement. <br />The riparian area along Badger Creek was in poor condition due to season long <br />summer grazing. A second goal has been the protection of a brown trout fishery <br />located in the lower portion of the watershed. <br /> <br />Methods: A demonstration riparian pasture exists due to cooperative <br />efforts between the Bureau of Land Management and Everett Land & Cattle <br />Company. The cooperative effort was implemented in 1986 by resting the pasture <br />from grazing and fencing it. After a four-year rest, current management methods <br />include intensive early spring grazing with high numbers of cattle (125 to 200 <br />head) for short periods of time (ten days to two weeks). As a control tool, a tem- <br />porary electric fence excludes grazing in the northwest portion of the pasture's <br />riparian and upland areas. <br /> <br />Results: Improvements are evident throughout the demonstration area. <br />These management practices have resulted in a ] 5% increase in vegetative <br />canopy and a 17% decrease in barren ground cover with no visible difference <br />between the grazed and ungrazed areas. Banks are now vegetated and stable. <br />Erosion and sedimentation have been reduced significantly. The channel has <br /> <br />14 Driving Guide . Arkansas Watershed <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />